I sometimes get Two Friends and the Mind Melds mixed up. The Mind Melds were a collaboration between Mike McNeil and Russ Ouellette. I seem to have a few dozen of each of those brands.
Let’s Talk about Two Friends
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Wow. I cannot imagine two more disparate blenders.
there are lots of ones like that. And it just seems like certain things get mentioned and there is a chain reaction. New people try it others add their raves and anti-raves. Then when it's established people still love the blend but in a calm comforting way not a new fling way.
This thread made me open a fresh 2019 jar of English Chocolate last night.
I realize a photo’s worth a lot of words, but would you care to tell us about your experience with this blend?
Mostly Virginia with just enough Latakia to add some smokiness without it tasting like you are licking the inside of a chimney. Same goes for the cocoa (maybe a little vanilla?) topping. It’s there but it integrated well. Think……s’more but in the lightest sense.
Fresh it can be a bit rough and sharp that I attribute to the fresh virginia and Latakia respectively. 2 years or so of rest really pulls the whole thing together and rough/sharp aspects smooth out.
Sort of puts Captain Earle’s Ten Russians into perspective. It’s almost pretentious in this context.Don't forget 5 Brothers...
I finally got to English Chocolate for the first time, just now.
The latakia is present but very light, compared to a typical "English" -- comparable perhaps to the proportion in Black Frigate. You aren't always conscious of it, but it goes in and out, like, "Oh I guess there's some latakia in here."
The smoke is sweet, but not at all in a cloying, conventional aromatic sort of way. Some of the sweetness is probably natural from the VA. Some is from the topping, but it's subdued.
That the topping was "chocolate" would not be immediately obvious to me, if I didn't know. It's a little indefinable, but if you know it's chocolate, you might say, "Yeah, sort of a milk chocolate with a little vanilla." There's a certain "brightness" (tang? acidity?) to the topping which isn't my personal preference.
It's NOT like the unsweetened/baker's cocoa note I've found in some tobaccos (which I prefer). More of a moderate but always present tangy milk chocolate.
Overall it's a fine smoke. I probably would't buy it again just because there are other things I happen to like more, but I'll be glad to have it by the campfire this summer. I could see it having a s'mores-and-campfire vibe.
The latakia is present but very light, compared to a typical "English" -- comparable perhaps to the proportion in Black Frigate. You aren't always conscious of it, but it goes in and out, like, "Oh I guess there's some latakia in here."
The smoke is sweet, but not at all in a cloying, conventional aromatic sort of way. Some of the sweetness is probably natural from the VA. Some is from the topping, but it's subdued.
That the topping was "chocolate" would not be immediately obvious to me, if I didn't know. It's a little indefinable, but if you know it's chocolate, you might say, "Yeah, sort of a milk chocolate with a little vanilla." There's a certain "brightness" (tang? acidity?) to the topping which isn't my personal preference.
It's NOT like the unsweetened/baker's cocoa note I've found in some tobaccos (which I prefer). More of a moderate but always present tangy milk chocolate.
Overall it's a fine smoke. I probably would't buy it again just because there are other things I happen to like more, but I'll be glad to have it by the campfire this summer. I could see it having a s'mores-and-campfire vibe.
Thanks for your thoughts! I’ve been wanting to try this for a while and it sounds like it’s something I won't prioritize.
Thanks for that great write-up! Much appreciated.
Would it be accurate to guess that the “unsweetened cocoa” you’ve experienced is in blends like GH’s Bob’s Chocolate Flake? (That’s one of my favorites.)
I've very much wanted to try Bob's Chocolate, but never have gotten any. From the reviews, it sounds right up my alley.
I've come across an unsweetened cocoa note before, but regret that at the moment I'm not quite sure where! Well, then again, I do seem to recall getting a bit of it in Boswell's Private Stock, for one thing.
In comparison to Bob's Chocolate (and Stonehenge flake), I landed on English Chocolate as the other 2 included things I didn't care for. Bob's has the bit of Burley and a little heavier latakia, Stonehenge has the Burley and Perique but lacks the bit of Latakia. Both have floral in their topping which I'm not a fan of.
I think all 3 can sit in a familiar category, but English Chocolate suits my palate and preferences since I don't like much Burley, too much latakia or lakeland.
I think all 3 can sit in a familiar category, but English Chocolate suits my palate and preferences since I don't like much Burley, too much latakia or lakeland.
Oh, I forgot about Stonehenge! Oh my, do I love that!
I typically dislike burley, but in this case it's barely there, and to whatever degree it is, perhaps it contributes a dimension I can appreciate.
Stonehenge is complexly sweet, deep and rich, bringing together a number of my favorite things -- VaPer, floral Lakeland essence, and cocoa.
If any of you have Stonehenge you're willing to trade, let me know!
I typically dislike burley, but in this case it's barely there, and to whatever degree it is, perhaps it contributes a dimension I can appreciate.
Stonehenge is complexly sweet, deep and rich, bringing together a number of my favorite things -- VaPer, floral Lakeland essence, and cocoa.
If any of you have Stonehenge you're willing to trade, let me know!
I didn't realize that Stonehenge Flake was a limited release. G. L. Pease - Limited Editions - https://www.glpease.com/Tobacco/SpecialEditions/Stonehenge.html
"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for every blend drops to zero."
Classic line from "Pipe Club".
I used to smoke Two Friends ... and I don't remember anything about it. I also used to smoke Steve Books' blends, and I remember everything about them! I also remember smoking an aromatic coconut blend from "Smoke Rings and Things" in Hackensack NJ in 1969 ... so it's not about my memory
I think it was at first, then they brought it back a few years ago as regular release. However it is now back on hiatus as they’ve been unable to source a particular leaf for the blend.
I can't think of anything or merit that Craig Tarler could add to anything of Greg Pease's that would appeal to me other than tin art.
I'm a fan of the Two Friends English Chocolate.